Fire detection systems and other monitoring and alarm systems routinely include a large number of monitoring nodes distributed in a building or other space. The monitoring nodes monitor their surrounding environment and trigger an alarm when a specified condition is detected.
In some systems, monitoring nodes communicate wirelessly with each other and with a centralized monitoring and alarm station. Conventional monitoring and alarm systems that support wireless communications often use battery-operated monitoring nodes with narrowband radios. These monitoring nodes can form a wireless mesh network, which allows the monitoring nodes to monitor a large area. However, in wireless monitoring and alarm systems, redundant communication links are often necessary or desired for providing reliable communications. Providing redundant communication links in a wireless mesh network is typically very easy. In wireless networks supporting other protocols, however, it can be much more difficult to provide redundant wireless communication links.